Circle Of Ostwick
by Astaghaill
Summary: Amryn Trevelyan is a Mage whose home is the Circle of Magi of Ostwick. Faced with corruption within the Templar ranks, as well as the Mages themselves, it's up to her and the Knight Captain to restore the peace within the Circle to prevent yet another Circle from falling in Thedas. Pre-Conclave. Trevelyn/Knight Captain Ian(OC) Rated M for possible later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

"Hey, Amryn!" A loud voice sounded off from across the large room. It was filled with bunks and desks which were available for use by the apprentice mages of the Circle of Ostwick. Amryn was sitting at one of said desks, writing a letter to her parents, heads of the Trevelyan family. At the sound of the voice, she sat her quill down at the right hand side of her letter and turned to reveal who was calling to her. There stood the familiar face of her good friend, Sully. A bright smile was plastered across his face, which was not unusual. He was a very happy and kind soul. He loved to make people smile, and had the power to do just that. He always knew exactly what to say. Amryn gave him a questioning look.

He walked up to her and placed his hand on the desk and leaned over her slightly. It was a pose that looked like he was reading her letter, but his eyes were focused on her face.

"Do you know what today is?" He asked. His voice was hushed but Amryn could still hear the excitement. His eyes were practically glowing with it as well.

She spoke, though not as quiet as her friend.

"No, what?" He looked at her, shocked, his mouth hung slightly open in an exaggerated manner.

"Oh maker. You haven't forgotten! But you have..." Sully grabbed her by the waist, pulling her out of her seat and bagan to swing her around, playfully dancing in circles. "Honestly woman! How could you forget your own birthday!" He said jokingly as he stopped dancing and stood in place, standing in front of his long time friend. They stared at each other for a time before Sully embraced her. Amryn enjoyed the warmness of her friend for a few brief moments until a deep, stern voice disrupted them.

"Hands to yourselves." The two friends stepped away from one another at the order of the Templar guard who walked into the room. Amryn looked at the Templar. Of course, it had to be him.

"Conrad." She said his name politely and with a smile, though she despised this man. He was a living example of why Mages hate Templars. He wasn't wearing his helmet, which was likely due to his overgrown beard or the fact that his fat head couldn't fit into it.

"Oh come on Conrad! It's the lovely lady's birthday today. Even you can't deny her a birthday hug!"

Amryn sent a glare at her friend and she heard Conrad release a disgusted grunt from his throat.

"As if I'd even let one of you demons lay a finger on me. I'd see you all culled first." The burly, older man threatened the two.

"That's enough, Conrad." Yet another voice emerged. This one was quite deeper, but was a bit more smooth that the old mans' voice. Conrad glared at the two mages before turning around to greet the person behind the new voice.

"Knight Captain." Conrad said, saluting. His voice hinted with disgust and hate and his eyes glared as he walked past the taller man and excused himself out of the room to return to his duties.

The man who remained was indeed, the Knight Captain of Ostwick's Templars. He wore full metal armor which was adorned with th symbols of the Templars as well as the Chantry. A shield rested on his back and a simple, silver longsword could be found hanging on his left hip. In his right arm, he held his helmet, which also allowed them the ability to receive a long look of his features. The Knight Captain was a younger man, late twenties, maybe early thirties. Silky, Dark brown hair rested on his head, cut short to prevent 'premature death' as some Templars would claim. If a mage wanted to kill them, they wouldn't grab for their hair, they would simply shoot a fireball at them and watch them burn. Amryn wondered where most people got their ideas of Mage's hostility. It made them look like idiots. She was snapped from her thoughts by her friend speaking to her.

"Look who it is, Amryn." Sully nudged his friend with his elbow, raising an eyebrow at her.

Amryn sighed, "I can see who it is, Sully." Her eyes locked onto the tall man who had recently joined them, whose dark, emerald green eyes stared back at her.

"Knight Captain Ian." Amryn slightly bowed her head to him as a show of respect before continuing speaking to him.

"Thank you for that. Conrad seems to have it out for us." She half joked. "Is there something you needed or...?" She trailed off, waiting for an answer. It took him a few minutes to answer, like he was contemplating what to say. He straightened up before speaking, trying to sound professional.

"I am here to escort you, Lady Trevelyan, to your Estate in Ostwick."

Amryn's face filled up with confusion. She looked at the Knight Captain, "And why is that? We just visited not even two months ago..."

"It was by demand of the Knight Commander, My Lady." He informed her. "Your parents have urgent business to discuss with you."

Amryn sighed, looking at Sully, then back to Ian.

"Give me a few moments to collect my things." With that, Ian bowed and waited outside the apprentice's quarters, leaving Amryn and Sully, mostly, to themselves.

"Leaving already..." Sully looked at her, his eyes filled with sadness. "It feels like you just got back. But at least you are able to visit your family." He smiled at her which made her feel a twinge of guilt.

"Sometimes I wish I could cut ties with my family. It's a hassle constantly having to be escorted by Templars outside the circle every few months."

Sully scoffed and folded his arms, "Yeah, because that's such a problem. You should count yourself lucky that you get to leave at all, some of us don't have that luxury."

Amryn stopped packing her stuff and looked at him, speaking softly,

"I know... I'm sorry Sully, I didn't mean it like that. It's just..." She paused to find the words.

"The circle is my home. I barely know my family. They act as if I'm the heir to their fortune when it's obvious I can't be. I'm not even the oldest. I'd rather just leave all of that behind me."

Sully gave her an odd look.

"So you'd rather be trapped here, every day for the rest of your life, than to be out there and be nobility? You're more dumb than I thought, Trevelyan." A smirk found its way to Sully's lips as the two started to laugh.

"I'll miss you Sully." Amryn said, patting her friend's shoulder, with her bag in the other hand. He didn't say a word, only took her into a quick embrace. When he released her, he leaned in and whispered into her ear.

"Sir Ian is escorting you, personally. Don't waste this chance." He backed away and winked at her, smiling as her face turned a soft shade of pink.

"Shut it, Sully." She laughed, "I'll see you in a few weeks." She hugged him one last time before she headed out the large iron doors into the hallway where Ian, Conrad, and two other Templars waited. They surrounded her and escorted her in a formation designed specifically to keep the mage from escaping. They put cuffs on her wrists, enchanted with runes that nulled her ability to use her magic, suppressing her mana. Each Templar held onto a short, thick chain that was attached to her cuffs.

Amryn looked at each Templar.

"Well... to prevent me from running I suppose?" She tried to make a joke to lighten the mood before continuing.

"You all have escorted me before. You know I won't run. I don't exactly feel like dying today. Besides, I rather like the circle." She smiled at them before she spoke more, "I mean, have you seen the library here? Much more to read than back home. Better food too." She smiled at each of them, knowing they wouldn't let her go.

"Apologies, My Lady. Orders are orders." Knight Captain Ian spoke to her in a calm, soft voice.. Conrad, on the other hand, made her feel very uncomfortable.

"You damn mages never can be trusted." He sent her a nasty glare as he tugged roughly on his portion of the chain, causing Amryn to stumble a bit.

"That's enough, Conrad!" Ian stepped in, standing in between the two. "While I am in charge, you will not address a woman in such a manner. Mage or no." He paused a moment before speaking again. "In fact, you will not speak at all." Ian glared down at the older man, making his order final.

Amryn couldn't help but smile in triumph. If only Conrad would actually follow orders. It's a wonder he's still in service to the Templars and the Chantry.

Once that was dealt with, the group of five headed on their way out of the circle and down a small trail that went on for a few miles. Soon, they would arrive at their destination; The city of Ostwick.


	2. Chapter 2

A few hours passed and Amryn could already tell this was going to be a long journey, all just to visit her family, yet again. Although, she had to admit that she was a little curious as to what was so important for her family to spend all of that gold to be allowed another visit so soon. The cuffs on her wrists were already starting to rub her skin raw, due to them being clasped tight, more so than their usual trips.

Amryn listened to the two Templars who took their positions behind her. They were talking about something she had never heard of before.

"Some crazed up mage destroyed the Chantry over in Kirkwall." One Templar said, his accent pointed to the fact that he was a native Free Marcher, as Amryn was.

"I heard he was under influence of a demon." The second Templar replied to the first. His voice sounded like he was from Orlais, although the accent was faint.

The first Templar scoffed at the mention of a demon before making a retort.

"Fucking Mages. They are dangerous, every last one of them." His attention flicked over to Amryn, which she could feel their eyes stabbing into her back harder than sharpened daggers.

Amryn turned her head slightly, looking at the two armored men behind her.

"Be careful back there. Mages are known to shoot fireballs out of our arses." Her voice filled with witty sarcasm and she grinned at the look on their faces through the gaps in their helmets.

"Quiet back there." A voice from the front sounded.

"Yes, Knight Captain." Amryn answered, amusement still present in her voice as she faced forward.

Amryn could tell, Knight Captain Ian was smiling. If not physically then he was laughing in his mind. The two had always gotten along, have always been on good terms. Ian was the kind of man every Templar should aspire to be. Strong, willful, passionate, kind, but fierce. Amryn was glad when Ian was transferred to the Circle in Ostwick, otherwise it would be Conrad giving them orders. Under the Knight Commander, of course.

Soon everything fell silent. Nothing could be heard except the sound of their footsteps on the dirt trail that they followed, not even wind or the sounds of birds chirping. It was an eerie feeling, that was certain.

Amryn was too focused on the silence that she didn't realize the two men in front of her had stopped, which caused her to bump into them.

This didn't bode well with the one on the left.

"Watch it, you filthy mage, or I'll see your hands cut off." Conrad said, utterly disgusted with the fact that she touched him.

"If you have such a problem with being touched by a mage, perhaps you shouldn't have become a Templar." Amryn stated, causeing the Templar to growl in return.

"Both of you, be quiet. We are surrounded." The Knight Captain whispered to them. He watched his surroundings, releasing his portion of the chain, placing his hand on the hilt of his sword. The two Templars in the back did the same, leaving Conrad the only one holding the chain.

The Knight Captain nodded at Conrad, issuing an order to watch over Amryn before him and the other two drew their swords and shields. As if on cue, bandits started dashing towards them, coming out of the cover that they took in bushes and behind trees. There were easily a dozen of them, against four Templars and one mage bound in enchanted chains that prevented her from using her magic.

The three men ran into the group, cutting down their enemies and using their special abilities learned in their Templar training to take down the enemies. Amryn and Conrad stood away from the battle, watching the three templars being overrun.

"We have to help them!" Amryn shouted at Conrad. "Please! At least let me aid them! I can use a spell that'll knock..." Amryn's exclamation was knocked short due to a fist slamming into her face with such force that it knocked her back, causing her to momentarily lose her vision. She laid on her back, regaining her vision, she could see a figure standing above her. It was Conrad. She stared at him with bewilderment as he held a sword at her throat, ignoring the fact that his companions were being cut down a few feet away.

"Let me go, Conrad!" She scowled at him, venom laced her words. Maker, she knew this man was no good. She watched as Conrad's blade swung down at her, to which she attempted to dodge. Standing as quickly as she could, she stumbled and leaned against a nearby tree, her face and head throbbing from the man punching her. Her blue eyes were large as she watched the man come at her again, blade at the ready. She couldn't do anything to defend herself, if she ran, she would be killed by the other. If they lived through the attack, that is.

Curiosity got to her and she looked up briefly to see how the other three were faring. It seemed they were holding off well enough, they might make it. Her attention switched back to Conrad, who had the sword raised once more, ready to strike her down. All she could do was close her eyes and hope he made it quick. She waited, but it never came. Was she already dead?

Amryn opened her eyes slowly, but all she saw was something silver in front of her. Opening her eyes the rest of the way and standing straight, she saw it was the Knight Captain. He held his sword in his left hand, ven though he was right handed. Amryn noted that his shield was gone, and he was holding his left side with his right hand. Looking closer, she realized that blood was gushing out of an open gap in his armor. In a moment, Knight Captain Ian managed to disarm Conrad and knock him unconscious with the pommel of his sword.

"Knight Captain!" Amryn said, surprised that he saved her. "Please, Get these cuffs off me. I can help!" Amryn's deep blue eyes stared pleadingly into Ian's dark green ones. Relief washed over her when he gave in, unlockin the chains from her wrists.

"Do not make me regret this." He stated firmly before charging back to the aid of the other two Templars. The bandits seemed like they were in an endless supply behind the brush, they kept coming, one after the other. Amryn ran up closer to where she could hit them. Although she didn't have a staff, it didn't prevent her from casting some powerful spells using her bare hands. Given it was a bit more of a challenge than using a staff, it definitely wasn't impossible.

Focusing her mana, she quickly put up temporary barriers around each of her Templar companions before delving deeper into her mana pool. She drew from her mana using sheer willpower to cast a large ice wall in front of the three templars, taking out the enemies in front of them, freezing the ones nearby, and slowing the ones farther back. This allowed the three men to eliminate the forces with ease. Amryn, herself, used a few more spells, throwing some fire balls, or shocking the enemies with electricity, careful to avoid hitting her temporary battle companions.

Eventually the swarm came to a stop, allowing them all to stop and catch their breath. The Free Marcher and the Orlesian hurried over o Amryn, holding their swords up to her, as if she were the threat. She didn't move because if she did, they wouldn't hesitate to kill her.

Amryn exhaled when the Knight Captain walked up, ordering the two to sheath their weapons.

"Amryn is no danger to us. She could have easily let them take us as she fled, but she didn't. I trust her." Ian made sure the two men understood what he was saying before he continued, issuing another order.

"Check the bodies. An attack like this had to have been planned." The to nodded and walked away, following their captain's order. The captain himself, on the other hand, remained at the mage's side. He looked at Conrad's unconscious body before turning his attention back to Amryn. He studied her face closely, earning him an odd look from the woman. He stepped towards her, closing the gap between the two of them, his eyes not leaving her face. Slowly, he reached his hand up and touched her left cheek gently.

"He did this to you..." His voice was barely audible, his eyebrows furrowed and his nose scrunched in disgust. "I will see him punished. We must get this cleaned." He turned, heading too where they had left their bags.

"What do you mean cleaned? It's just a bruise." Amryn laughed a little bit at the captain but stopped when he looked at her and she saw the serious loo on his face.

"You have a giant gash on your face. It will likely leave a scar." He turned back to rummaging through the sack, grabbing for a poultice and some gauze.

"A gash?" Lifting her hand to her face, she ignored the stinging pain as she felt where had been cut. Sure enough, she discovered that she had been slashed from her eyebrow down to her mid cheek. Moving her hand, she looked at her fingers which were now soaked with shining, crimson blood. Her blood. Breathing out, she put her hand to her side and looked at the Knight Captain who was once again moving towards her, this time with some gauze and the poultice. Assuming he was going to clean it, she made her way to a nearby fallen tree to sit down, for ease of access to her face.

Knight Captain Ian crouched in front of her, readying the cotton pad with the poultice.

"This is going to sting a bit." A certain gentleness resided in his words that Amryn placed as him caring. He truly was a kind soul.

Her eyes rested on his face as he brought the medicine to her face, dabbing at the wound, attempting to be as careful as he could.

A few moments of silence passed and she spoke up.

"Knight Captain-" She began, but was cut short.

"Please, Just call me Ian, My Lady." He suggested, not taking his eyes off of what he was doing.

"Ian..." Amryn continued. "You're injured as well. I would like to offer you my assistance in tending to it." She spoke properly, carefully choosing her words so they might not be taken the wrong way.

This caused Ian to briefly stop what he was doing and look at her, before continuing, clearly ignoring what she had said.

"We have to go back to the circle. We are injured and Conrad has clearly lost it. The Knight Commander will want a full report on this. He will not be happy about refunding the old paid for this visit though. Your parents paid a great deal to see you this time." The brown haired man rambled on, still carefully dabbing and wiping away at Amryn's facial wound.

Before long another voice spoke up, it was the Orlesian Templar.

"Knight Captain Ian. I think you will want to read this."

The Knight Captain stood from his spot and outstretched his arm, grabbing the piece of parchment that had words carelessly scribbled on it. Reading it thoroughly, he realized it was orders that had been given to the bandits, with the Trevelyan noble seal. Quickly, he folded it and tucked it inside a pocket of his bag.

"What was it?" Amryn stood up and walked over to them, curiosity getting the better of her.

"It was nothing My Lady. Just orders given to the bandits. I figured the Knight Commander would want to see it." Ian explained to her.

"Really?" She questioned, "Who gave the order?"

Ian looked at the blonde mage, contemplating whether or not he should tell her the truth. He put his hands behind his back, taking up the typical Templar stance before informing her.

"It didn't say, My Lady."

Amryn looked at him and then at the other two Templars who were stying out of it. Shrugging her shoulders, she decided not to second guess the Knight Captain. Instead she made a simple remark and how odd it was that a bunch of bandits would attack out of the blue.

They all gathered up the bags, readying to head out.

"What about Conrad, Sir?" The Free Marcher inquired.

"Put the chains on him."

The Orlesian seemed baffled by his response.

"What about the mage?" He responded, feeling the need to remind the captain that they had a 'dangerous' mage accompanying them.

"I trust her more than I trust Conrad." He looked at his men, then to Amryn before turning around and putting the cuffs on the still unconscious Templar.

"When he wakes, we move out."

"Yes Sir!" The two underlings saluted in unison before turning away to tend to their own affairs.

Amryn walked up to the Knight Captain, speaking quietly.

"Captain..."

"Ian."

"Ian..." She corrected herself. "Your wound. It needs to be tended to."

Ian sighed, turning to face the blond woman.

"Fine. Since you insist." He disrobed as far as he was required to in order for her to clean the sizeable flesh wound on his left side.


	3. Chapter 3

**~Authors Note~**

 **Hello readers! I just wanted to thank you all for taking your time to read my story. I hope you are enjoying it thus far. I'd very much appreciate it if you all would kindly write a review so I know how well I am doing. You're input greatly motivates me to keep writing! Thank you all and love your faces!**

The young lady's blue eyes gazed over his bare torso, mostly examining the deep wound on his left side. Slowly, she approached him, aiding him in sitting down on the log where she previously resided. Amryn could tell he was making an attempt to hold in his wincing from the pain his his side. The blue eyed beauty examined his face, waiting for his permission to continue and look at the wound. When she received a nod from him, she move his arm into a rather uncomfortable position for him, but at least it was out of the way for her to tend to his wound easily. Grabbing a new gauze pad, and the poultice he used on her, she began cleaning the wound. Her eyes, hands, and mind were completely focused before a voice addressed her.

"You're a mage, aren't you? Can't you just wave your fingers and make 'im better?" Judging from the accent, it was the Free Marcher who had spoken. Briefly halting what she was doing, she glanced up at the Free Marcher.

A small chuckle passed through her lips as she explained to him simply.

"Actually, even magic can't draw out the dirt and other things that cause infection. That's why I always like to have poultices around, It cleans out the wound, then I can use wht magic I know to help quicken the healing process."

"Keeping poultices around? Expecting someone to get hurt, I suspect?" The Orlesian Templar stated accusingly.

"No." Amryn retorted, taken aback by his accusation towards her. "I just like to be prepared. Just in case, y'know." Her voice grew quiet as she returned back to her duty of cleaning the Captain's wounded side.

"Right. Just in case" The Orlesian mocked, earning a glare from the Knight Captain.

"Enough, Clemont." Ian commanded, adding to his order, "I will hear no more of your mockery towards the woman who saved the lot of us. Be respectful. Or at least hold your tongue and keep your thoughts to yourself."

Amryn didn't know what to think, her breath hitched in her throat but she spoke through it.

"Knight Captain-"

"Ian, please."

"Ian..." She continued, eyeing the Templar in front of her. "What he says does not bother me. I've lived in th circle since I was six years of age, I've grown accustomed to being talked down to." She tried to reaon with him, attempting to avoid an argument between the hard headed Orlesian and his Knight Captain.

The brown haired man gave Amryn an almost incredulous look, his square jaw tensing as he clenched his teeth in disbelief at what she had said.

"You are still a Lady of noble birth, born of higher rank than the majority of the Templars and other mages in the Circle. I will not allow the men I lead to further disrespect you." Amryn gave him a soft smile, her eyes softening as they stared at his. Ian quickly caught what he said and added onto it, as if not to look soft in front of his men. "It not only hurts you, but it bodes illy on me as well, as a role model and as their leader."

Amryn only chuckled as the man puffed out his chest in attempts to look tougher. Instantly regretting his movement, he ended up doubling over slightly in pain that jolted through his body from his wound. Amryn gently caught him, her petite hands holding onto his large, tanned shoulders, only letting go once she felt him relax.

"Are you okay?" Her electric blue eyes glowed with concern as she looked at the man sitting before her, his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath.

"Maker. Get a room you two." The Free Marcher joked at the duo, over hearing the concern in the woman's voice. This caused Amryn to blush and the Orlesian, Clemont, to laugh.

"Looks like our Lady Mage here pines for our Captain." He laughed again, nudging the Free Marcher who stood guard next to him.

Amryn stuck her lip out, making a pouty face as she looked at Ian, furrowing her eyebrows.

"Well, he is quite handsome isn't he?" She stifled a laugh as she looked towards the two men who stood a few feet away from them. Them laughing caused her to look back to the captain only to see his face completely flushed as her averted his eyes away from any of them. Amryn laughed and reassured the poor man that she was only jesting. She always knew how to make the Knight Captain considerably uncomfortable. She did, after all, grow up with him in the Circle. They were always considerably close. Well, as close as a Mage and a Templar could be.

"Hey, Groves. Keep and eye out will you?" The Orlesian spoke to the Free Marcher.

"Where-?"

"I gotta take a piss." Clemont replied, his heavy accent cutting through the Free Marchers sentence who nodded in return, allowing the Orlesian Templar to walk a ways away to relieve himself.

Amryn shuffled lightly in her spot, putting away the supplies she was just using on the brown haired man before her.

"Are you done?" Ian questioned, readying himself to move to put his armor on.

The woman's pale hands gently touched his arm, telling him in a gentle voice to keep still. Slowly, she brought her hands up to hover over the wound on his side, channeling her mana to the one specific spot, allowing the wound to close up after a few moments of doing so.

"There, all better." She chirped at him, the smile that formed on her face caused her blue eyes to become even brighter. She watched the Knight Captain stand with ease, the pain in torso subsiding for the most part. He walked over to his armor and put the plates back on, strapping them firmly to his frame.

"I'm surprised Conrad is still out." Amryn said, looking over at the unconscious body of the older man that was chained up. Her attention turned to Clemont who was now making his way over to them.

"Just how hard did you hit the man, Ian?" His voice was filled with amusement. He had never liked the man, he was far too rude, even for his liking.

The three faces turned to face the Knight Captain, all half expecting him to answer them. He just stood there looking between all of them, guilty.

"I get it now! You hit him, full force, because he threatened your lovely Lady Mage over here." Clemont nodded, piecing it together, patting the significantly shorter woman's blonde hair before walking up to the unconscious Conrad.

Groves let out a chuckle, his voice much deeper than the Orlesian man who stood a few feet away.

"Maybe you should stop with that, Clemont. You're going to get on Ian's nerves. Best to stop now before he knocks you out too." The sound in his voice, Amryn could tell he was amused by the playful banter they were sharing. These two almost seemed to not mind Amryn's company, now that their captain had reassured them that she was trustworthy.

"I'll kill you, you bloody bastard." All four of their attentions snapped back to the origin of the voice. Pierre Clemont had no time to step back before he found he had hands clutching at his throat. A choking sound found it's way past Clemont's lips, his face turning an unnatural shade of red. Immediately, Ian and Groves drew their swords, pointing it at the man, about to take action against him. Amryn reacted first, charging up her mana and shocking the attacker. The majority of the electricity was sent into Conrad, but Amryn couldn't stop a small jolt from hitting Pierre as well. The quick attack caused Conrad to let go of Clemont, allowing him to scoot away, which Amryn ran over to help him.

"Sorry!" She said in a panic, afraid of him being upset. Lending him her aid, she helped him stand up and leaned him against a nearby tree, although a ways away from Conrad, who now had two blades at his throat.

"Are you alright, Pierre? I didn't mean to shock you too." Her voice was sincerely apologetic towards the taller man. He was breathing heavily, bracing himself against the tree. She awaited an answer from him, fearing the worst. Instead, he roughly, and carelessly patted her shoulder which was closest to him and let out an exhausted sound that sounded almost like a laugh.

"Hell of a lot better than being choked to death." His deep brown eyes looked at her in a silent thanks.

"Yet again this woman saved my life. She should receive an award or something for being a good sport." The Orlesian half joked at the others, trying to lighten their serious expressions before continuing, speaking directly to Amryn.

"Any other mage would have let us die, and ran. You're an odd one. I owe you my life, doubled." He patted her shoulder again.

"I misjudged you." His voice was quiet that time as he walked away from her, towards the other three, two of which still held their offensive stances, blades at the ready. Clemont grabbed the chains, handing one off to his companion, Groves, noth tugging the angry man up from the ground. Ian still held his sword in hand angling it upwards, still at Conrad's throat.

Conrad spit at him.

"You would trust a mage but not me?" He looked down at the chains. "and get these damned chains off of me!" He yelled, lashing his arms angrily.

"You attacked our charge." The knight captain motioned his head towards Amryn. "Without reason. You marred her face, which will leave permanent damage. Her family will not be happy about this, and neither will the Knight Commander." Ian tried to explain Conrad's fault to him calmly, his patience with the man wearing the thinnest it's ever been over the course of the years.

"Fuck her family." Conrad's eyes glared daggers of ice and steel at the captain, adding onto it after, spitting while emphasizing the words.

"And fuck the Knight Captain. Fuck the Mages, and..." His rant was cut short by a fist connecting hard with his face, sending him to his knees. Conrad's head faced to the left as he spit out a mouthful of blood, the crimson substance running down his chin. His head turned slightly as his eyes glared harder than before, a smirk playing at his lips.

"and. fuck. you." his voice was even more spiteful, blood, sweat, and spit flew from his mouth as he put even more emphasis on his hateful words.

The captain didn't hesitate to take this as a challenge, connecting his boot straight to Conrad's chin, forcing him onto his back. His drawn sword now at the man's throat once more, he raised it up and then down in one swift motion, but was stopped by Grove's sword.

"Knight Captain!" Groves yelled his commanding officer's name, which didn't seem to phase him in the slightest.

"Knight Captain Ian. We should not execute him. We need to take him back to the Knight Commander so he can receive proper punishment decided by the Knight Commander himself. If you don't, we all will be punished. Is that what you want?" His reasoning seemed to get through to his Captain who slowly lowered his sword and sheathed it after exhaling.

"Very well." Was all the Knight Captain said before turning and signaling the others to follow suit. Amryn decided to give the men comfort by traveling behind the Knight Captain, and in front of Groves and Clemont, who dragged their new prisoner along behind them in chains.


	4. Chapter 4

Amryn sat at her desk, staring at a blank piece of parchment that lay on the hard ebony wood. Immense focus was strained on her face as she held a fancy writing quill, gripping it with her right hand. It had been a mere day since they arrived back at Circle and Amryn was bestowed the duty of writing an informative letter to her family of why they never made it. Not to mention she had to send back all of the coin, which the Knight Commander and First Enchanter were not happy about. At all.

Sighing, she ran her hand through her long, dark blonde hair and sat the quill down, momentarily giving up the attempt to produce accurate words.

"Having trouble?" An all too familiar voice stated from behind her, causing her to turn her head.

"Hey Sully." She greeted him, not moving from her current position. "Yeah, just a bit. I Don't see why the Knight Commander or the First Enchanter couldn't have done this."

"Well, to be technical, it /was/ your fault." Sully nudge her, a smirk playing at his lips.

Amryn smacked his arm playfully.

"Not true! Bandits ambushed us." Amryn turned her head back to the parchment on the desk and sighed, bringing her small hand up to her face where bandages rested around her left eye.

"So they didn't protect you from the bandits?" Sully questioned, his hands gripping the back of her solid wooden chair, knuckles turning white. Anger was evident in his low voice, though his face remained calm as to not arouse suspicion from those who watched.

Amryn shook her head. "No, It was Conrad that did this. The Knight Captain protected me."

Sully huffed at the mention of Conrad's name but nudged her when she brought up the fact that Ian had saved her from him.

"He uncuffed me so I could help them in their fight, which I did." She continued. "I think Groves and Clemont trust me now, even if it's a little. I know Ian does, he said it himself." She whispered to her friend quietly, hoping nobody would overhear the sound of joy that was present in her voice.

"You need to make a move, Trevelyan." Sully joked, looking her in the eyes, face full of mischief.

Amryn scoffed at his remark, pushing him aside as she got up from the chair. She leaned in close to her friend and whispered to him once more, quieter this time.

"You think something like that could actually happen? Someone would find out and end up reporting it."

Sully only winked at her after placing a friendly hand around her shoulders.

"Trust me, Amryn. If you two are careful enough, nobody will find out."

"But what if he doesn't even like me back?" She pouted at him, slumping her shoulders, purposefully acting like a child with a crush.

"Oh, I've seen the way that hunk of delicious man-meat looks at you. He wants you." Sully laughed, shaking her with his one arm around her. "Or maybe he's actually looking at me"

Amryn jabbed him in the side, moving away from him and laughed at him when he grunted and glared at her. "We'll see about that." She stuck her tongue out at him before turning to walk to the door.

"And where are you going?" Sully ran over to her, grabbing her by the waist and twirling her around. Amryn let out a laugh, trying to surpress it so it wouldn't draw too much attention. Unfortunately for the two, Sully had swung her right into a hard wall of shining, silver plated armor. The two of them paused, their muscles tensed as they prepared to be screamed at by the armored man they had run into, but heard not a single word.

Amryn's eyes slowly trailed up the body of armor that rested not even two inches away from her own body, confirming that it was a Templar. But who? She let her eyes continue to wonder up to figure out who this mysterious figure was. Eventually, her blue eyes locked onto the face, finding it to be well hidden under a large, silverite helmet with the same metal wings protruding from the sides. Their eyes met briefly before the man looked away, continuing around them on his way down the long, elegant, and well kept hallway. The duo remained where they stood.

"That was weird." Sully huffed, his eyebrows in an uneven position, causing him to look more wierded out than he possibly was.

"Yeah, no kidding." Amryn muttered, straightening her back and lightly placing one hand on her hip. She looked to Sully then back down the hallway at the retreating figure who grew further with every step. "I wonder who he was?"

Sully shrugged his shoulders at his friends question.

"Must be a new guy or something."

"Yeah, but something seemed off. Usually the new ones are so quick to anger and start yelling." Amryn contemplated for a few more brief moments but shrugged it off, deciding to treat herself to a visit at the library.

Maybe some reading will inspire her to write that letter to her family later tonight, she thought to herself.

Inviting Sully to come with her, he politely declined, reminding his best friend that libraries aren't his thing and decided to make his way to the food hall. Amryn said her goodbyes to him as she departed, making her way to the section of never ending reading materials.

When she arrived, she stared at the various shelving areas, hoping to figure out what to read. Finally making her decision, she made her way to the section which had all of the books about healing. Some were about magic and others about herbs and poultices, which she chose the latter

"I'll brush up on some healing magic later on." She spoke to herself, planting her butt into another firm, wooden chair by a sufficient light source. She smiled as she opened the book, obvious that it was well taken care of, though it was clearly read quite often. After all, it's not only just the Mages who visit the library, the Templars do as well. A good thing too, wouldn't want to be escorted by a company of Templars who know next to nothing about healing herbs or poultices.

Recalling the last fight she was in, she quietly thanked the Maker that Ian knew about that topic. Even though it was only a little, it was enough to keep her cut on her face from festering and infection spreading. Staring blankly at the open book before her, her mind began to wander back to the moment that her Knight Captain was patching her up. Gorgeous dark, emerald green eyes shone in the suns light as thy focus with intensity on her left cheek, dark auburn hair messy from the battle they had just fought.

Those thoughts eventually moved forward to his shirtless form from when she was patching up his side. Strong, very defined muscles rippled under her soft touch as she cleaned and bandaged the wound, careful not to cause him any further pain than he was already in.

Lost in her thoughts, she failed to notice the figure sitting down at the table in front of her.

"Good book?" The person asked curiously, snapping Amryn out of her risque thoughts about her Captain.

Electric blue eyes quickly looked up from staring into the depths of the book, which was opened to a random page about Arbor's Blessing, and found themselves meeting with the same emerald green that she had been previously thinking about.

"Knight Captain...!" Amryn was shocked to see the man sitting there in front of her. It was almost as if her thoughts had brought him there, placing him in front of her. Feeling the blood rush to her cheeks, she tried not to think about the thoughts she just had, quickly looking back down to the book to hide the fact that she was flustered.

"Please, just Ian." He gave her a soft smile as he spoke to her in a gentle tone. He sat at the table with his back in perfect posture with his hands folded on the table in between the two of them.

Amryn quickly scrambled for something to say.

"Did you know Arbor's blessing can be used to season foods?"

"Strange you would find a cooking fact in a book about healing herbs." Ian cracked a grin at the woman in front of him, placing his hands into his lap, eyeing her.

"Oh...' She looked away from the man briefly before turning her gaze back towards him, her bright blue eyes connecting with his. "I already knew that before hand. I was just reading about the medicinal properties of Arbor's Blessing and it came to my mind."

A smile formed on the Knight Captain's lips as he looked at her, and she at him. Something looked off about him.

"You're not wearing your armor?"

"No." He shook his head, smile still plastered on his face. "Off duty hours don't require us to wear our armor. Although, most Templars do outside of their quarters in order to look intimidating."

"So you don't want to look intimidating?" Amryn questioned, raising her right brow at him, careful not to irritate the scab forming on her left one.

"I'm a Templar. Mages already fear me." The smile disappeared from his features.

"I don't." Amryn said quickly, yet quietly, keeping from anyone else hearing them. Her little statement caused the auburn haired man to look at her, slight bewilderment hinted in his expression.

"Sorry." She said hurriedly, hoping not to offend.

"No, no. It's quite alright." He chuckled, putting his hand in front of him to help reassure her. "Just took me by surprise is all. I think you are one of the only mages who don't fear Templars and respects them as well." He praised her, smiling once again.

"I understand why Mages have such a hard time... Their families and all, ut if they would just cooperate then the Templars wouldn't have to lock us up so tight." Amyn spoke softly, her gaze turning to the wooden table, looking just past the edge of the hefty book.

"Yeah, I know." The man sighed, hunching his shoulders just slightly, barely enough to be visible. "Then again, Mages wouldn't be so distrustful of Templars if most of us weren't complete assholes." He chuckled, attempting to make the lady feel better.

His attempt was successful to a degree as she looked back up to him, a faint smile shining in her eyes.

"If circumstances were different..." Amryn started but was interrupted suddenly by loud shouting and the clanking of armor as Templars rushed down the halls, heading towards the stairs leading down the tower.


	5. Chapter 5

"What's going on?" Amryn asked aloud, standing in haste from the desk she was just sitting at. Ian had followed her lead and stood himself, watching the men all run in suit past them and down the hallway which led to the staircase. Watching all of the suited men pass, Amryn noticed one in particular. He was running along side them, in full suit as expected. It seemed like he was yelling orders at them but stopped when his eyes landed on her. Only a single moment had passed but it had seemed like an eternity. The mysterious man's eyes bore into her, filled with emotions that she couldn't precisely read. To her, it mostly seemed like confusion but she couldn't be entirely sure.

Amryn's eyes tore away from the figure once his face straightened and he resumed what he was doing prior, and they turned towards her Knight Captain who was staring back at her already.

"What?" Her bright blue eyes bore into his green ones, awaiting an answer.

"Fresh recruits." Ian responded. "I'm sure they passed by too quickly for you to notice but a man was running along side them. That's why all of the shouting. He's training them to be able to run and move in their full armor." He explained to her, which she nodded but still was calming down from having braced herself for attack.

"Also, there were as few recruits falling behind. I'm sure they will get an earful later." He let out another chuckle, his eyes shining at her as he sat back in the seat he previous resided, nodding at the lady mage to do the same. "Don't worry, everything is fine."

Amryn relaxed her tense shoulders as she sat back into the thick wooden chair, her gaze falling back to the table top.

"Yeah I noticed the man. It just didn't register that they might have been recruits." She sighed, leaving out the fact that she had a run in with that same man earlier that day.

"So what was it you were saying?" Ian asked, leaning in slightly, emerald eyes fixated on her face.

"It was nothing." Amryn said plainly, giving him a small, innocent smile.

Ian looked at her oddly, but accepted her answer.

"Alright, if you're sure." He said lowly, which caused Amryn to chuckle nervously.

An awkward silence fell over the mage and the templar who were seated at the table, causing Amryn to fidget, looking everywhere except at the Captain who had opened his mouth to speak but was cut off.

"Well, if it isn't our favorite mage in Thedas." A familiar and thick Orlesian accent penetrated the the veil of silent awkwardness. The man who spoke, as well as another man stopped beside the blonde.

"Oh, and Captain." He added, slightly bowing his head to show respects to his superior, a smile playing at his lips.

Amryn stood as the men approached and bowed her head at them before sitting back down at the table, closing her book.

"Groves. Clemont." Ians voice rumbled, almost sounding relieved that the two arrived when they did. "Please, sit." He motioned to the two extra seats at the table. The two abided their Captains suggestion and seated themselves. Groves a on Amryn's left, and Clemont on her right. Neither of them wore their armor.

"What is this? No armor day or something?" Amryn laughed at the men before her. "Out of all of my years knowing the three of you, Groves and Clemont especially, I have never seen you out of your armor." Her eyes glanced in between all three men situated around the table.

"Regulations don't require-" The Fereldan, Groves, started but Amryn cut him off.

"Don't require you to wear armor during off duty hours. I know, the Knight Captain already went over that with me."

"Then why ask?" Groves asked, genuinely confused. He never was the brightest out of the Order, but he was most certainly powerful. Even if a bit naive.

"It was a joke, Sir Groves." She retorted, laughing slightly at the Knight who only huffed back at her.

"Anyways," Clemont butted in, changing the subject with a more serious tone, continuing. "What came of Conrad, Ian? I doubt the Knight Commander was exactly happy about his actions."

Clemont talked almost as if he didn't care whether or not Amryn was sitting there, which baffled her. Her electric blue eyes stared at his face which was turned towards Ian, who stared at him without giving an answer. Amryn noticed Clemont's neck, which most of it was covered by his rust colored shirt. But peaking slightly out, Amryn could spot a dark bruise, finger shaped, which was undoubtedly left by the suspect in question, Conrad.

Her gaze returned back to their faces, which were still looking at each other, as was Groves. Ian broke and sighed, running his hand through his short, dark hair.

"We are still awaiting orders on punishment." His eyes turned towards Amryn, causing the other two men to look as well. "The Knight Commander wanted to speak with Lady Amryn about what happened."

"Why?" Amryn questioned, shocked at the fact that the Knight Commander had asked to meet and to speak with her.

The question caused Ian to sigh again, but he answered truthfully, leaning in and placing his hands on the table. He spoke almost inaudibly, allowing only the three at the table to hear.

"Conrad accuses you of attacking him first. He says he only acted in retaliation, in fear of his life being endangered."

"What?" Amryn gasped, leaning in as well, eyebrows furrowed. "But I had enchanted shackles on me to prevent me from using my magic when he attacked me."

"I know." Ian soothed. "I know..." He looked down at the table away from her.

The Orlesian and the Fereldan both looked between the mage and the Captain, unsure of what to say.

Ian raised his eyebrows as he turned his face back to Amryn.

"That wouldn't keep you from stealing a knife hidden in his boot."

Amryn made a sound of disgust, she defended herself, trying to remain silent as she could "You know I wouldn't do that. That's not what happened."

"We know this." Groves added, "We think that the Knight Commander is leaning towards our side."

"But, he wants to meet with you to confirm whether your story matches up with ours." Ian finished Grove's statement.

Amryn placed her head in her hands, a sudden headache creeping into her skull. She didn't know what to think of all of this. Sure, she hated Conrad but she would never bring it upon herself to attack someone without being attacked first.

She felt a hand being placed on her right shoulder. Assuming it was Clemont, she looked at him questioningly.

"Why are you and Groves defending me? And Ian...?" Her voice sounded confused and curious as to why they were all willing to help her.

Clemont hesitated, giving Groves time to cut in.

"It's because we trust you, Lady Mage." His dark chocolate colored eyes shimmered at her as his dark, thin lips curled into a reassuring smile.

Amryn looked between them, still confused.

"Why do you trust me so suddenly."

"My, you are filled with questions aren't you?" Ian chuckled, amused by the female mage that sat before them and he nodded at Clemont to explain.

"Groves and I trust you because Ian trusts you. We strongly believe that his judgment is the correct one. We have been friends since before the circle and we would follow him to the Deep Roads and back if he ordered us to." Clemont's hand now rested back on the table in front of him but his gold eyes still rested on Amryn's face.

"Hell, if he ordered us to stay behind while he went into the Deep Roads, we'd probably disobey his order and follow him in anyways." Groves laughed, causing the other two men to laugh as well and Amryn to smile at them.

"Well, I certainly am flattered. Thank you." Amryn grinned widely at them, unable to control the blood rushing to her cheeks.

The four of them at the table stopped talked and their faces straightened as a fifth, unfamiliar voice spoke up to them.

"It seems Ostwick's Templars are getting a bit... Too comfortable around mages."

The voice sounded almost Antivan in origin, but Amryn didn't recall ever meeting any Antivan Templars in Ostwick's circle. Definitely none who sounded like that. The company of four all stood and faced the body that the strange accented voice belonged to. There stood a man, in full armor, helmet included. It seemed like he towered over the four of them, built large and sturdy. Purple seemed to radiate from underneath his helmet, which made Amryn stare at the opening in his helmet to figure out what was causing the glow. After a few seconds, her eyes focused on his, confirming that's what was emitting the faint glow of, not purple, but a dark magenta.

After getting past the fact that he had abnormally colored eyes, she realized he was glaring at her. A very cold glare at that. Who was his man? She had a run in with him earlier that day, and just several minutes prior, he was running along side the recruits and was staring her down. But who was he? She had never seen him before today.


	6. Chapter 6

Amryn regained her composure after staring the mysterious man down. Bracing her arms at her side, she built up the guts to speak to him.

"Who are you?" Curiosity getting the best of her, her eyes still lingered on what part of his face that showed through the modest helmet.

"You will not address me, mage." His magenta eyes sent a harsh and sudden glare at the lady mage who stood there, ultimately defenseless. She didn't want to start a scene with an unknown templar, so she stood there in silence. Soon enough, his attention turned back towards the other off duty knights who stood around behind Amryn, still in their initial spots around the table.

"The Knight Commander wishes to speak with the Mage. I am here to escort it to his office."

Amryn's stomach lurched at the fact that the Templar referred to her as an 'it'. Which, indeed, was a first for her, even after all of her years as a residence in the circle. Still, she didn't dare say a word in fear of being punished.

"/She/ has a name." Amryn turned her body to see who had spoken. It was Knight Captain Ian, and he had a very displeased look on his face.

His eyebrows were furrowed as he sent a nasty look towards the taller man on the other side of the table, his posture perfectly straight and chest slightly puffed out.

The tall, mystery man scoffed in response.

"As if I care." He snarked back to Ian who grew more fierce looking each passing moment.

"What is your name?" Ian inquired, his tone strict and demanding as he folded his hands behind his back, still staring long and hard at the unknown man.

"That is none of your business." The man argued back, straightening his posture and crossing his arms, glowering down at the Captain from across the table.

Amryn was shocked, to say the least, at the man's response. Surely he didn't have superiority over Ian. At least not here, anyways.

Ian's jaw clenched and he raised his voice in an authoritative manner.

"Maybe you aren't aware of who you are speaking to." Ian spat through gritted teeth.

"Please, enlighten me." the man tested the Knight Captain, remaining in his tall stance.

"I am Knight Captain Ian of the Circle of Ostwick. Second in command after Knight Commander Armstrong. You /will/ answer my inquiry lest you be detained for insubordination."

The man immediately fell silent, his voice seemingly caught in his throat. Ian's harshness and aggravation sparked curiosity within nearby acolytes, scholars, and other templars. The sudden attention made the man uneasy as he shifted on his feet and his arms fell back to his sides. Quietly, he walked over to the Knight Captain's side, not looking at him. Sternly, he spoke in a hushed, forced voice.

"Lieutenant Maddox." His voice came out through gritted teeth causing it to sound even more forced as he continued. "Sir."

Ian didn't say anything but in turn just stared at the Lieutenant.

"Now, if you will allow me to continue my duty of escorting the mage..." Maddox began to speak.

"No." Ian glared at the man, turning his body fully towards Maddox. "You are dismissed. /I/ will escort Amryn to the Knight Commander."

"But-"

"Dismissed."

The two shared a silent exchange before Maddox walked away angrily, his strides long and foot steps heavy.

Groves and Clemont looked at each other, then to Amryn, and then to Ian. The duo were completely unsure of how to react so they stayed silent.

Ian spoke up after a moment of silence, clearing his throat.

"Groves, Clemont. Dismissed." The two men who Ian addressed nodded their heads and walked away, saying their good-bye's to their newly found Mage friend.

Amryn looked at Ian curiously who approached her and whispered quietly to her.

"Follow me."

Amryn followed him without question, leaving the books on the table and heading in the same direction that Ian started in.

Several moments passed and they came across a room with an average sized door, miniscule details elegantly carved into the stained wooden surface. There was no sign of anyone in he halls of where they now stood, causing suspicion to arise in Amryn's chest.

"Ian..." She questioned, only to be shushed by him. A small noise escaped her lips when he gently grabbed her hand and led her into the room, closing the large door behind them and thoroughly scanning the room for any signs of people.

"All clear." he whispered to himself and sighed.

"Ian. What's going on?" Amryn whispered questioningly towards the man in front of her. He turned to face her, but his eyes didn't lock with hers, but stared at the floor.

"I didn't recognize that man. And nor did he recognize me." Ian stated.

"So?" Amryn asked. She didn't understand where he was going with his.

"Something is going on, Amryn." He sighed, whiping his face with his hand and pushing his hair back in one fluid motion. He continued.

"We didn't recognize each other. He claims he is a lieutenant but if he were, I would have known him. If we recieved any new transfers, then I would have been notified of their arrival to greet them. I've never met that man in my life." He sighed again, leaning against the wall next to he door.

Amryn let out a low chuckle. The Knight Captain seemed exceptionally tense and unnerved about this.

"Maybe they just made a mistake with the scheduling?" Amryn suggested, walking to Ian's side, trying to find reason.

"It's not just that. /I/ am your designated escort to the conference. Which doesn't take place for another 5 hours."

Amryn didn't know what to say to this, and Ian took it as a sign to continue.

"They wouldn't change who the escort was without alerting me first. Nothing goes to the lower ranks witthout going by me first." He crossed his arms, exhaling in disbelief.

"You're really bothered by this." Amryn stated, knowing that it truly was.

"If I were not there... Groves and Clemont wouldn't have known better. They'd have let you go with an unknown 'Templar' who claimed to be your escort... Five hours before the scheduled meeting time."

Amryn gave him an incredulous look.

"What are you thinking he was up to?"

"I can't be entirely sure. But I have a feeling that Conrad is behind it." Ian gave a sneer of disgust as he said the criminals name.

"Oh..." Was all Amryn could muster, her eyes finding their way to the rug that covered the majority of the floor. "I'm sorry Ian. I didn't mean to cause so much trouble for you." Her voice was quiet and regretful.

She didn't hear Ian say anything immediately but instead heard him push himself off the wall and close the gap between them. He didn't touch her but stood close enough to her to where she could feel him.

"Amryn." He looked down at her, his eyes soft as the low light caught on the green of his irises. Hearing her name escape his lips, she looked up at him, their eyes locking.

"You are very important to me. I'd hate for anything to happen to you. It's not you that is causing the trouble. It's Conrad." His eyebrows furrowed yet again at the mention of the foul man but his eyes still locked with Amryn's blue ones. Slowly, he found his hand was lifting up to the side of her face where bandages were taped over her wounds. His fingers a mere fraction of an inch away from her cheek, he forced his hand down back to his side.

Amryn's voice hitched in her throat. She wanted to say something yet nothing came to her mind, so instead she just looked at the ground past Ian.

"Whatever happens, Amryn..." Ian began to speak. The blonde mage didn't look at him. Feeling she wasn't paying attention, he once again lifted his hand. This time he took hold of her chin and gently lifted her face so he could look at her when he continued to speak.

"Whatever happens, I will always be here for you. I will always believe you, be on your side. I'll fight for you if it comes to it. To ensure your safety and well being."

Amryn was speechless. She felt the blood rush to her cheeks as tears stung her eyes, threatening to fall. The room fell utterly soundless as Ian slowly moved his face towards hers, studying her face as her grew closer and closer.

Amryn felt like her head was going to explode and her chest was going to burst due to her heart beating so firmly against her chest.

"Amryn" Ian breathed her name quietly. The anticipation started slowly sinking in. It seemed like the closer he got, the slower he moved. And Amryn wasn't okay with that.


End file.
